1. Best C right now- Dwight Howard, if anyone else puts someone else they are either completely biased or have not watched basketball in the last 5 years.

2. Most Underrated- Marcus Camby, he gets 10 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks a year, and is argueably the best defensive center not named Dwight Howard. Camby gets absolutely no credit either.

3. Overrated- Andrew Bynum. Many people consider him the best young (already a 6 year pro) centers even though his carer highs are only 15 points 9 rebounds and 2 blocks (Andrew Bogut beats him easily in each category). Also Bynum is an injury magnet, has only over 65 games once in his 6 year carer. Plus he's a punk (see Barea Shoulder)

4. Best C in 5 years- Andre Drummond! I might be jumping the gun on this guy, but he is legit.

5. Best Young C (2 years exp. or less)- Demarcus Cousins. Might be a headcase, but the man has talent.

1. Best C right now-Dwight Howard - Should have been closer in the MVP race last season. Defensive monster

2. Most Underrated- Andrew Bogut - He's super underrated IMO. He's a terrific shot blocker and actually has some moves down low. Bucks should be running the offense through him

3. Overrated- Robin Lopez = I hate that people here think he'll be a great player just because of his couple good games against Andrew Bynum. He's always injured and honestly is just all dunks and tip ins. Some people overrate him a lot on here

4. Best C in 5 years- Dwight Howard = He never gets injured and I can't see his abilities diminishing anytime soon

5. Best Young C (2 years exp. or less)- DeMarcus Cousin. I wanted to actually put him in that convo for Best C in 5 years but I have to see how much commitiment he will make on D first. Still, he's got great skills and he'll be a beast soon enough

6. Best Rookie C- Jonas Valicinous - Sorry for the spelling but he looks like a solid contributor now. I like that pick for tha Raptors and I think fans will like him once he's officially here in the states

7. Most athletic- JaVale McGee = This guy is the center version of JR Smith. Such great athletic abilities but his poor IQ stops him from using it wisely. Still, its pretty crazy that he almost dunked from the free throw line on a fast break lol

8. Best Leader- Jokhim Noah = He's a great energy guy and can get his teammates pumped up. He's a vocal guy but I think the players listen to him. he helps Rose out in that aspect IMO

9. Top C All-Time- Hakeem = Super tough to leave out Shaq or Wilt but once again, I'm going with my favorite. He was such a rare player and his moves were awesome to watch. He made just as much as an impact on defense that he did on offense. Not many centers could do that

Best C right now - Howard, this is not disputable hands down the best Center and some would argue best player in the NBA, his offense took another step last year, his defense is amazing, and something that isn't talked about much but if clearly most important is that he is on the court almost every game every year as a center getting pounded every game, incredible.

Most Underrated - Joakim Noah, Do it all type of player, was hurt a lot last year but when healthy 12 pts 15 boards and 2 blocks type guy.

Most Overrated - Tyson Chandler, I'm confused as to why Tyson Chandler is now such an amazing player last year he was a bust in Charlotte.

Best C in 5 years - Howard, he's still young as he ages his athleticism will not be as dynamic but his strength will increase.

Best young C - DMC, Needs to calm down, last year he showed some of the red flags coaches were marking him with prior to the draft.

Best Rookie C - Jonas Valancuinas, I'm too much of a Jonas fan without even seeing him play any ball other than mixes, I think he is the truth and I can't wait for him to come over.

8. Best Leader- Perkins (He might be overated, and he might not be the leader of the team, but boy can he get you fired up.)

9. Top C All-Time- Tough one, very tough. I will give a fifth of my vote to Shaq, another fifth to Hakeem, another fifth to Wilt, another fifth to Kareem, and another fifth to Bill Rusell, now everyone is happy.

@providencefriars1: The rookie question is speculative due to the lockout, but I don't think Valanciunas counts as a rookie since he will be staying overseas, and wouldn't be a rookie in the 2011-2012 season without a lockout.

Best C right now - Dwight
Most underrated - Marcin/Tyson
Most overrated - Brook Lopez
Best C in 5 years - Dwight
Best young C - hibbert
Best Rookie - Jonas/kanter
Most Athletic - Deandre jordan
Best Leader - Chandler
Top all time - Hakeem / the admiral

1. Best C right now- Dwight Howard - Best defensive player in the league, and his offensive game is still improving. He's working with Hakeem for the 2nd consecutive year, so I wouldn't be surprised if his ppg average goes up.

2. Most Underrated- Chuck Hayes - He's on the small side for a center, but he hustles, is a great defender, and does all the dirty work. Houston should resign him.

3. Overrated- Kendrick Perkins - His defensive impact was WAYYY overrated last year. Zach Randolph was bullying him in the post all series. Perkins is slow, and doesn't block shots. Plus, he has NO offensive game. He's also a poor rebounder. Everytime I watched him play last year, his defensive impact wasn't as advertised. Maybe it was because he wasn't healthy though. I believe in the playoffs, that he said that he was only 65%, and he was out of shape. He says he plans to lose weight this offseason, so maybe he proves me wrong next season?

4. Best C in 5 years- Dwight Howard - His game is still improving. He's still young, and has great durability, so I doubt he'll show signs of slowing down in 5 years. Drummond has the potential to become the best, but I doubt it happens that early because he's still not very polished. Cousins comes in a close 3rd. He has much more offensive skill than Howard at the same stage, but he doesn't bring the same defensive impact. And I'm not even sure what Cousins career is going to look like in 5 years, because I don't think Sacramento is the right team for him.

5. Best Young C (2 years exp. or less)- Demarcus Cousins - He's extremely skilled when it comes to footwork and it does seem like he generally performs well round the rim. Decent body at this point for a center. I suspect he has trust issues on the court but I can't really blame him given that even Tyreke Evans takes really bad shots let alone the rest of the team. One of my concerns with him will be him falling in love with the jumper which I hope doesn't happen. somehow I just keep getting this feeling that in heart Cousins is a smart player who often lets his EQ get the best of his IQ. Sacramento (if it's still going to stay there) should get veterans to surround this guy. He is a great prospect, but not someone you can rely to grow on his own like Durant or Rose (and neither is Evans). Sacramento can't expect him and Evans to be OKC 2.0 and I certainly hope that doesn't happen.

6. Best Rookie C- Enes Kanter - He's a PF/C, but I think he'll mostly play center in Utah, since they're grooming Favors to be the PF of the furture. I also like Valanciunas a lot.

7. Most athletic- JaVale McGee - Dwight is a freak athlete himself, but I had to give the nod to JaVale on this one. They're both great leapers, but I think JaVale is quicker and more fluid than Dwight. Dwight has more power to his game though.

8. Best Leader- Tyson Chandler - Plays with emotion, is intense, and has great intangibles.

9. Top C All-Time- Shaquille O'Neal - Just so dominate. I kind of picked Shaq by default though because I never saw all the other great centers in their prime.

1. Best right now: Dwight Howard -- one of the best players in the league and by far the best center.

2. Most underrated: Nene

honorable mention: Marc Gasol, Roy Hibbert, Andrew Bogut

3. Overrated: Andrew Bynum -- he is a top center when he plays well, which isn't all the time. Some think he is the 2nd best center in the league but that is only true when he is on his game and focused. His injuries don't help.

honorable mention: If you think Kendrick Perkins is a top tier center then he is overrated, but if you view him as a glorified banger/leader/enforcer who can box out, rebound, and commit hard fouls then he is fairly rated and fairly effective.

honorable mention: Jonas Valanciunas (who got drafted this year but won't play until 2012-2013).
Bismack Biyombo who might put up solid numbers as a pure center next year for the Bobcats.

7. Most athletic: Javale McGee -- the best leaper of the bunch. An awesome dunker who threw down some great dunks in the dunk contest. Has a great spring in his step.

honorable mention: Dwight Howard finishes a CLOSE second. Howard has more power and a better size of speed, size, and power to go with his hops.

8. Best leader: Tyson Chandler

honorable mention: Kendrick Perkins who leads by example and really helped the Thunders' toughness and took the wind out of the Celtics' sails when they traded him. Joakim Noah is the best young leader who is fiery and a winner. Great hustler and rebounder and a good defender. Dwight Howard leads by example and is the most impressive defensive center and power-oriented center in the game, but somewhat lacks Chandler's leadership skills. Dwight Howard needs to be more of an alpha dog. As far as his mentality goes right now, Superman is more like Robin than Batman.

9. Best center all-time: Wilt Chamberlain. Hard to argue against his 100 point game, his all-time leading rebounding stats, his 30 points per game average, his 7 straight scoring titles, his assist title, and his anchoring two of the greatest teams ever (a Sixers team that won 68 games and the title, and a Lakers squad, minus Elgin Baylor, that won a record 69 games including a record 33 straight and followed it up with an NBA title).

2. Most Underrated- Marcin Gortat - Played very well after the trade to PHX. He is a tough center that has some offensive skills.

3. Overrated- Kendrick Perkins - Perkins is a very good post defender but that's it. He cannot hit easy bunnies when left alone.

4. Best C in 5 years- Dwight Howard - He is very good right now and can still improve. He can always try hard to improve his free throws and his shooting.

5. Best Young C (2 years exp. or less)- DeMarcus Cousins - He will be a very good center in the NBA. Very gifted offensively.

6. Best Rookie C- Jonas Valenciunas -Such a good talent, great size, and hes tough!

7. Most athletic- Dwight Howard - It is close between Dwight and McGee.

8. Best Leader- Marcus Camby - I remember the story about when Camby got traded to the Blazers and he created a scene for Brandon Roy to get on him so the team can see Roy as the leader of the team. Brilliant move by a great leader.

9. Top C All-Time- So many! Shaq, Hakeem, Kareem, Wilt, ect but I am going with Bill Russell. 11 rings is a crazy amount. Not to mention his stats, and think of all the blocks he probably had since blocks were not a stat back then.

I have went with Kareem here, but he himself said Wilt was better than him. Then I went back to look at the numbers, clips, asked older guys, and came to the conclusion it is Wilt...

Shaq- I see a bunch of you putting him on there Shaq was the LeBron James of that position, but never maximized his potential... Lazy used the regular season to get into shape and never actual played in All-Star games (forever on the sideline in a suit). If you asked who is the most dominate center of all-time you should say Shaq, but greatest? Shaq's not even Top 3, production and numbers doesn't add up to the rest...

Dream- I love the Dream and his offensive skills on the low block, then I realized his blocking numbers to realize how great he was, BUTTTTTTT... Only time I really remember the Dream being affective is during the 2 years Jordan was out of the league on his first retirement... And the block shots would have came in 3rd place if they would have counted Russell and Wilts blocks back in the day... The Dream is slightly overrated...

Russell- Everyone points to his teammates, but Russell actually played with the same amount of All-Stars as Wilt and used the game differently... Russell had Red which was the deciding factor... Wilt was about stats while Russell was about winning... Russell couldn't stop Wilt, but made Wilt think the game was about Wilt... That way beating Wilt as a team than one versus one... SMART GUY!!! Offense was terrible though, couldn't beat Kareem out...

Kareem- Would have went first, but too quiet... Never really played against center as talented as himself, but that's only thing bad I have on the guy... WOW... The numbers tells it all, the Trophys does too, the MVP's as well... Understand who was his teammates and you should realize how great HE really was... Pretty soon his name will be lost to the basketball world... That sky hook was unstoppable... The media HATED him especially when he changed his name, but still got MVP's... GREATNESS...

Wilt- Lets get out why I hate this guy, was all about ME, ME, ME... Chose to join the Globetrotters because they gave him more money, chose to leave the Warriors because they didn't give him a bigger % on the gate... Led the league is assists because he wanted to league the league in assits... BUT you look at the numbers, how dominate he was, how talented he was offensively, how productive he was for a duration of time, and his personality... Wilt made the game Entertaining, Russell was an a$$hole (but as a black man during that time in Bean town, who wouldn't be?) Wilt made the game, Larry and Magic brought to back, Jordan took it to another level, and LeBron is trying to bring it back... Game changers... Not a lot of them in the game of basketball... But Wilt was an absolute force and would have been dominate if he played today... Thats how good he was!!!

1. Best C right now- Dwight Howard. He is best there is out of the few true centers left in the game.

2. Most Underrated- Marcus Camby. he has been underrated his whole career. no all-star selection. if ben wallace can get selected 4 times, why not this guy? the guy is a defensive specialist, and a rebounding machine. he has 10+ rebound while playing 26 mins last year. now i have to ask most of the C in the game right now... WHY CANT YOU GUYS GRAB just 10 rb when you are playing freaking 30 something minutes!

3. Overrated- Andrew Bynum. I dont care whats his potential. has he shown he can take over game. not really. does he deserve that huge contract. no. now jim buss is sticking witht this guy and &$#%#&@! kobe off? great move jimmy! andrew has to be one of the most overrated players until he proves something.

4. Best C in 5 years- Dwight. he is still young, he will dominate this position for awhile unless bynum or oden ever reach their potential, or this guy by the name of drummond is actually the real deal.

5. Best Young C (2 years exp. or less)- Drummond. I want to say Cousin, but he plays more than half of his time at PF, and it seems like thats the position sac wants him to play.

6. Best Rookie C- Jonas. dominating players his age from all over the world must be a good feeling.

7. Most athletic- McGee, but seriously, thats all he got. someone should help develop this guy.

8. Best Leader- N/A. there are really only two "leaders" in the game that is leading his team today. Bargnani and HOward, and both are not that great of a leader, so i void my pick for this one. Yes, Noah talks a lot of shi*t, and plays with passion, but look at chicago's game, the real leader is easily rose. he talks in the huddle, he goes up to all the players and talks to them. Noah just talks a lot in the media.

9. Top C All-Time- Bill Russell. 11 out of 13. the finals MVP is named after him. thats all i can say.. but yeah this is easily the hardest question from our 5 day session. i see people putting wilt and shaq revolutionize the game and blah blah. it actually started with george mikan, he made it to a big man's game. he won 5 champs and therefore he deserves some credits. then, came a guy called bill russell, and all he did is to win 11 champ out of the 13 years. also, this guy called wilt at around the same time period just dominate the paint by avg 50 ppg and grabbing 20 rpg. then it was the jabbar show for almost 2 decades. won multiple champs with two different teams, and posted career numbers that are still unmatched today. then came the influx of centers such as hakeem, robinson, ewing, and etc... all of them have very decent careers too. shaq might have the most hype out of all the centers ever entered the game, but like many have said, he never reached his true potential but he is still undoubtly one of the best in the game ever, esp his younger years.

Perhaps Wilt was the best at getting stats, but he only played one center comparable and that was Russell a guy who he was always losing to. As big/skilled/athletic as Wilt was, there is no reason to have not won against Russell's C's. Not like he didn't have a tam around him. I'm fully confident tht had KAJ ben playing in Wilt's prime years, against mostly 6ft6 unathletidc white guys, you would see a winner who could dominate games individually the way wilt did. I'm sur he wouldn't lose to Bill time after time like Wilt did.

Based on your reasoning, you would say that LBJ is the best SF of all time too right? Because that guy can absolutely lead the leagu in every statistical category yar in yar out during the reg season if he wants. Dosn't man he's a winner. 2 titles with that kind of size/skill/athleticism is almost pathetic. One could realistically say that Shaq would have EASILY put up 100 pts in a game had he payed in the same time period.

If I recall, there was an article a while back even posting pace adjusted, had Wilt playd at the pace of modern NBA teams, his 100 point game was actually something like a 60+ point game and Kobe's 81 point game was somthing like 130+ in Wilt's time period.

Not trying to downgrade what Wilt has done, he's a pioneer to the sport, but just because he could put up numbers yet lose against mostly inferior competition, being bigger than everyone, dos not make him the best C of all time.

Thanks for doing this man it really helps to have something to do for the offseason and its nice hearing different opinions on each position.

Centers:

1. Best C right now- Dwight Howard (no question)

2. Most Underrated- Tyson Chandler (Everthing he does for the Mavs is so valuable and I feel he's one of the biggest reasons for their championship this year)

3. Overrated- Kendrick Perkins (He was first underrated, but became so overrated this year, personally I feel the Thunder would have been better off keeping Jeff Green and the Celtics better off keeping him)

4. Best C in 5 years- Dwight Howard

5. Best Young C (2 years exp. or less)- Demarcus Cousins (He needs to improve his attitude, but his talent is undeniable

6. Best Rookie C- Jonas V (Can't spell his last name, but when he comes over he'll be a beast

7. Most athletic- Dwight Howard (The combination of strength, speed, quickness, and coordination is better than any other Center in the league plus he never gets injured)

8. Best Leader- Joakim Noah (This is kinda by default can't think of too many centers in the league that area considered true leaders by their team)

9. Top C All-Time- Kareem Abdul Jabbar (Any one else find it strange how great the past centers were compared to now? The era of great centers has declined and as great as Dwight has been he has not been as dominant as Kareem, Hakeem, Shaq, David Robinson, Wilt or Bill Russell. Its unfortunate)

2. Most Underrated- Andrew Bogut..... man he would be an all-star every year if he didn't get hurt so much and he got more touches... no joke

3. Overrated- Brook Lopez..... He can score yes and pass a little but he sucks at every other aspect of the game....

4. Best C in 5 years- Dwight Howard..... still hasn't even scratched the surface of his true potential as far as how much more he can develop offensively

5. Best Young C (2 years exp. or less)- Demarcus Cousins

6. Best Rookie C- Jonas Valanciunas

7. Most athletic- Javale Mcgee.... He can do dunks that no other person on the planet can do..... even Dwight Howard... His height, wingspan and athleticism make him the highest jumper in terms of pure distance in the NBA.

8. Best Leader- Joakim Noah

9. Top C All-Time- You just gotta seperate this one in to two eras...... New: Shaquille O'Neal followed by Hakeem, Moses Malone and David Robinson Old: Wilt Chamberlain followed by Bill Russell, Kareem, and Elvin Hayes

BTW- Just how people say George Mikan was the games first dominant C, Bob Petit was the original dominant power forward in my eyes at least.....

9. Top C All-Time- Hakeem Olajuwon - toughest "best all-time" for any position, but his combination of winning, offensive skill-set and defensive abilities put him over the top for me. Only player in recent history to win without a legitimate second option.

1. Best C right now- Dwight...didn't even have to think about this one

2. Most Underrated- Nene...this guy is so polished offensively, yet he doesn't get nearly the respect he deserves. One of my favorite bigs to watch.

3. Overrated- Bynum...I see this guy all the time, and I really don't see why so many people are so high on him other than he's a legit 7' tall and longer than almost every C in the league. Other than that he's highly injury prone, doesn't really have great touch on his jumper, and he gets away with soooo many elbows. Plus he's dirty(he collapsed Gerald Wallace's lung, sprained Michael Beasley's wrist, and we all know the Barea shot...doing the EXACT same thing to each guy)

4. Best C in 5 years- Dwight...he just keeps improving his offensive repitoire, he's too athletic for most C's, and he's easily the best defender at the position.

5. Best Young C (2 years exp. or less)- Cousins...the kid is so talented, if he can control his temper he's gonna be a force really soon.

6. Best Rookie C- Kanter...this guy is an old fashioned bruiser, but he's also very skilled with the ball in his hands and has solid touch on his face up J. Jonas has more long-term potential, but right now he's better.

7. Most athletic- McGee...the reason I picked him over Dwight is he gets up equally high off 1 or 2 feet. I've seen Dwight dunk off 1 foot maybe 5x in his career(2 of which were in an all-star game) he gives away so many points because has to go up off a 2 foot gather & usually with 2 hands. With Javale it doesn't matter if he goes up 1 foot, or 2 feet; 1 hand, or 2 hands, he gets up and throws it down just as impressive each way.

8. Best Leader- Nobody really stands out to me here, but I guess I'll say Dwight...he really showed a lot of improvement as a leader this past season and really carried a not so great team.

9. Top C All-Time- Hakeem the Dream...It came down to the Dream Shake vs. the Sky Hook for me, but Hakeem just had it all on the offensive end & might also be the best defensive C of all-time.